Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf
| Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Augusta Reuss-Ebersdorf as Artemisia, 1775 | |||||
| Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld | |||||
| Tenure | 1800–1806 | ||||
| Born |
19 January 1757 Berlin | ||||
| Died |
16 November 1831 (aged 74) Coburg | ||||
| Spouse | Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld | ||||
| Issue |
Sophie, Countess von Mensdorff-Pouilly Duchess Antoinette of Württemberg Juliane, Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Prince Ferdinand Victoria, Duchess of Kent and Strathearn Leopold I of Belgium | ||||
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| House | Reuss | ||||
| Father | Heinrich XXIV, Count Reuss-Ebersforf | ||||
| Mother | Karoline Ernestine of Erbach-Schönberg | ||||
Countess Augusta Caroline Sophie Reuss-Ebersdorf (German: Gräfin Reuß zu Ebersdorf) (19 January 1757 – 16 November 1831), was by marriage the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She was born in Saalburg-Ebersdorf. She was the maternal grandmother of Queen Victoria and the paternal grandmother of Albert, Prince Consort.
Family
She was the second of seven children of Heinrich XXIV, Count Reuss of Ebersdorf and his wife Karoline Ernestine of Erbach-Schönberg. Her birthplace, Ebersdorf, was a center of Pietism in Thuringia and Augusta's grandparents were ardent admirers of this religious movement. Augusta's great-aunt Countess Erdmuthe Dorothea of Reuss-Ebersdorf was married to Count Nicholas Louis von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf, leader of the revivalist Moravian Church. This background explains the deep religious feelings of Duchess Augusta in later years.
Marriage
Her father commissioned a portrait of Augusta as Artemisia by the painter Johann Heinrich Tischbein. Count Heinrich XXIV showed this painting during the Perpetual Diet so potential marriage candidates were aware of his beautiful daughter.
In Ebersdorf on 13 June 1777 Augusta married Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Duke Francis previously acquired the Artemisia painting for four times the original price because he was deeply in love with Augusta, but he had to marry a relative, Princess Sophie of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Princess Sophie died seven months after the wedding, so the duke was free to pursue the hand of his beloved.
During her marriage, Augusta bore her husband ten children; some of them played important roles in European history: Victoria, Duchess of Kent, and King Leopold I of Belgium.
Issue
| Name | Date of birth | Date of death | Age at death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sophie Fredericka | 19 August 1778, in Coburg | 8 July 1835, in Tušimice, Bohemia | 56 years | Married on 23 February 1804 to Emmanel, Count von Mensdorff-Pouilly). |
| Antoinette | 28 August 1779, in Coburg | 14 March 1824, in St. Petersburg | 44 years | Married on 17 November 1798 to Duke Alexander of Württemberg. |
| Juliane (upon her marriage, she took the name Anna Feodorovna in a Russian Orthodox baptism) | 23 September 1781, in Coburg | 15 August 1860, in Elfenau, near Berne, Switzerland | 78 years | Married on 26 February 1796 to Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia, the younger brother of Czar Alexander I of Russia (they divorced in 1820). |
| Stillborn son | 1782 | 1782 | - | |
| Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha | 2 January 1784, in Coburg | 29 January 1844, in Gotha | 60 years | Married on 31 July 1817 to Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1800–1831) the father of Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria. |
| Ferdinand | 28 March 1785, in Coburg | 27 August 1851, in Vienna | 66 years | Married on 30 November 1815 to Princess Antonia Koháry de Csábrág the father of Ferdinand II of Portugal and Victoria, Duchess of Nemours, and the grandfather of Ferdinand I of Bulgaria. By his marriage he became the founder of the Koháry branch of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha line. |
| Marie Luise Victoria | 17 August 1786, in Coburg | 16 March 1861, in Frogmore House | 74 years | Married on 21 December 1803 at Coburg Charles, Prince of Leiningen. Married on 11 July 1818 to Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III of Great Britain, the mother of Queen Victoria. |
| Marianne Charlotte | 7 August 1788, in Coburg | 23 August 1794, in Coburg | 6 years | |
| Leopold Georg Christian Frederick | 16 December 1790, in Coburg | 10 December 1865, in Laeken | 75 years | Married on 9 August 1830 to Louise of Orléans and his children included Leopold II of Belgium and Empress Carlota of Mexico. First king of the Belgians under the name of Leopold I. |
| Franz Maximilian Ludwig | 12 December 1792, in Coburg | 3 January 1793, in Coburg | 22 days | |
Notable descendants
Countess Augusta is the grandmother of many notable monarchs of Europe, including both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (through her mother Victoria) and her husband, Prince Albert (through his father Ernst), King Consort of Portugal Ferdinand II (through his father Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), and also Empress Carlota of Mexico and her brother Leopold II of Belgium (through their father Leopold I who was elected King of the Belgians on 26 June 1831).
Titles and styles
- 19 January 1757 – 13 June 1777: Her Illustrious Highness Countess Augusta Reuss-Ebersdorf
- 13 June 1777 – 8 September 1800: Her Ducal Serene Highness The Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
- 8 September 1800 – 9 December 1806: Her Highness The Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
- 9 December 1806 – 16 November 1831: Her Highness The Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Ancestry
| Ancestors of Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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References
- Gertraude Bachmann: Natur und Kunst in den Reisetagebüchern der Herzogin Auguste Caroline Sophie von Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld (text of the lecture from the 175th anniversary of Duchess Augusta's death on 16 November 2006 at the Naturkunde-Museum Coburg), Coburg 2006.
Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf Cadet branch of the House of Reuss Born: 19 January 1757 Died: 16 November 1831 | ||
| German royalty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sophia Antonia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel |
Duchess consort of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld 8 September 1800 – 9 December 1806 |
Vacant Title next held by Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg |
